These are Amazon’s picks for best books this February

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Most people could stand to devote more time to reading. We all make room in our busy schedules for the latest seasons of our favorite TV shows, but we reserve too little time for books.

If you're looking for something to keep you occupied before bed or on your commute to work this February, we suggest checking out Amazon's Best Books of the Month, a section of the site wholly dedicated to new releases in literature and fiction, nonfiction, history, and more.

You'll find a spotlight pick (this month's is Paul Aster's "4 3 2 1"), and nine other books that Amazon's book editors loved for this month.

Have a look. One of these recommendations might just inspire your next hardcover or Kindle purchase.

Captions have been provided by Erin Kodicek, editor of books and Kindle at Amazon.com.

"4 3 2 1"

Amazon

Well, let’s just get this out of the way: Paul Auster’s latest is a brick you can stand on to change overhead light bulbs, but that’s because you’re pretty much getting four (amazing!) novels in one. In this ambitious, heartrending, "Sliding Doors"-esque work, Auster examines the four possible ways one Jersey boy’s life can go.

"Impossible Fortress"

Amazon

Unapologetic nerds, 1980s buffs, and video game fans will love this endearing debut novel by Jason Rekulak. In it, fourteen-year-old Billy Marvin enlists the help of Mary Zelinsky to pull off the heist of their teenage lives. The prize? A "Playboy" featuring "Wheel of Fortune’s" Vanna White. But Billy ends up with far more than he bargained for…

"Lincoln in the Bardo"

Amazon

Abraham Lincoln’s dearly departed son finds himself in purgatory in the sometimes melancholy, sometimes hilarious novel from George Saunders, the best-selling author of "Tenth of December." It’s an unusual conceit, but one Saunders uses to tell a poignant and cleverly topical tale.

"Insomniac City"

Amazon

What was it like being the partner of the late, great Oliver Sacks? In this affectionate memoir, author and photographer Bill Hayes pays tribute to their relationship, giving intimate, yet reverent insight into the man the New York Times called “the poet laureate of medicine.” It’s also a paean to one of the other loves of Hayes's life: New York City.

"Swimming Lessons"

Amazon

Little does Gil Coleman know, but his wife has hidden many tell-tale letters in thousands of books in his collection, letters that reveal her true feelings about their relationship, and letters that may later provide clues when she disappears under dubious circumstances..."Swimming Lessons" is a wickedly smart literary mystery.

"Universal Harvester"

Amazon

People aren’t getting what they’re renting at the Video Hut in Nevada, Iowa. Tapes are being returned with a common complaint: There’s something else on here, and I don’t want to elaborate…When an employee decides to investigate, he discovers something very sinister. Sitting somewhere between literature and horror, John Darnielle’s "Universal Harvester" is unsettlingly good.

"Norse Mythology"

Amazon

It’s a daunting task to retell ancient myths in a way that is newly compelling, and original. Some would even say, what’s the point? (The same people who haven’t yet experienced Neil Gaiman’s inspired interpretation of "Norse Mythology." For those of you not yet versed in the adventures of Odin, Thor, Loki, and the like, Gaiman is just the writer to remedy that.

"Homo Deus: A Brief History"

Amazon

Our lifespans are getting longer and longer. Whereas famine, plague and war used to curb the population, humans have harnessed ways of combatting, or at least mitigating, those things. The question is, what will replace them? What will the next phase of our evolution look like? This is yet another fascinating read by the best-selling author of "Sapiens."

"The Upstarts: How Uber, Airbnb, and the Killer Companies of the New Silicon Valley are Changing the World"

Amazon

It’s difficult to imagine now, but it wasn’t that long ago when we were hailing cabs or begging long-suffering friends to take us to the airport, and once we got to our destination, a hotel or hostel awaited. "The Upstarts" is the fascinating story of the disruptors who changed all that—the founders of Uber and Airbnb.

"Pachinko"

Amazon

This epic and emotional novel follows several generations of one Korean family, and their fraught life in exile. But there is also much joy to be found in the ways in which this family overcomes obstacles in their adopted home.

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